Five week mystery chick slow development

[FloppyEaredFarm]

I am a little concerned about this little one. it is almost five weeks and is probably 1/3-1/2 the size of the other five chicks who were all hatched the same day. There is also no comb development at all. It does not seem to be sick in any way. It is lively and active like the others. I do not know what breed it is, so could it be a breed that is that much slower to develop than all the rest? There is feather development though, so that seems like a good sign. You can see in the first picture, it is the tiny one in the middle that is so much smaller. The other pictures show it up close. Should I be concerned as long as it is not acting sick?

 

[limhyl]

I have exactly the same issue with one of mine except they are eight weeks old and he is just barely getting feathers. Most people would say you should just cull him but I can't bring myself to, he's such a little fighter! And so adorable, he still looks like a baby, just like yours. I don't know what the problem is, probably some malabsorbtion issue. I'm just letting him hang out with his big siblings and see what happens. Nothing else to do really.

 

[sumi]

It looks like a runt chick. You get them sometimes. What may help it catch up is some vitamins and minerals added to it's drink water, high protein snacks like scrambled eggs and mealworms and fresh greens. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) helps with nutrient absorption, so a little bit of that now and then will also go a long way. See if you can find an organic one, with the "mother" in it. Good luck!

 

[FloppyEaredFarm]

Thank you Sumi! I have Braggs ACV in the water...is it ok to add vitamins to it with the vinegar in it? Also, I started giving them FF a few days ago which should help with absorption right? They have dry crumbles available all the time, and I've been doing the FF in the morning and evening. I will see if it will eat some egg or something too and go get some vitamins. Is there a chance this one will be ok? I am fine if it is just small...these are more like pets to me anyway. I just don't want it to die. It is so cute!

 

[sumi]

I never give vitamins and ACV at the same time. I'm not sure if you can. Maybe alternate the two? I've noticed my chickens drink water first thing in the morning, so if you offer the vitamin water in the morning and then switch to ACV water later? Try the egg and some mealworms, or other bugs if you can find any. It may not be so convinced about the new food early on, but keep trying. I remember my chicks freaking out when I gave them spinach, you'd think I put a snake in the brooder. Later the learned to eat it and they loved it.

Here's a story about another little bit that eventually grew up into a beautiful rooster. Your chick reminded me of this story:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...will-not-grow-update-hes-found-a-forever-home

 

[FloppyEaredFarm]

So I was hoping to get a little more input on this one. "She" is growing larger and developing some nice feathers. Still behind, just not as far behind so yay! However, she has no comb...at all. From what I can tell, not even the start of one developing. She is eight weeks, so I feel like that is really old to not have a comb. Can this be a sign of anything? Or just caused by the slow development? Is there a possibility that the slow development will cause her to not be able to lay eggs? Or is that rare for a laying chicken? I just want to be prepared for what we might be in for with her. She is getting so pretty! I hope she is ok. I will take a picture and post it a little later. Thank you!!

 

[mushu]

Hi, I don't think you should be worried if s/he is active, most probably its just slow development judging from my experience.
A year ago we had a chick like that, she was half the size of her siblings yet very active. Of course I was really worried (at the same time I thought it was so cute, she looked just like a baby when she wasn't). My mum said its okay because she wasn't getting picked on so we let her be. After her siblings were too big for the brooder my mum transferred them all to the outside cage until they were big enough to free range with the others. That's when I stopped checking up on her however 2 months later my mum pointed her out to me and I couldn't believe she was the same size as her siblings - must of had a growth spurt sometime during my absence.

Hope this helps!

 

[limhyl]

My little one is still alive and kicking and finally starting to catch up with his siblings and he's still so darn cute! He's my favorite and will sit in my lap and snuggle when none of the others will. I'm so glad I didn't cull him when most people would have. It's like most things in life, at least for me, a wait and see approach is best and has served me well. And I keep calling him 'he' even though there is no comb or any other signs of roo-ness. I sure hope he is a she because this one is a keeper!

 

[FloppyEaredFarm]

Limhyl-
Mine's doing well too! We call her (hopefully) "Button" because she looked so much like a little button quail for so long She is turning into a beauty. Still no sign of a comb at all, but she is developing in every other way, and is almost catching up in size a little. I even think I see the small beginnings of wattles. Is yours completely flat where there should be a comb? Our week old Cornish X that we just got even have little tiny points that will develop into combs. But Button doesn't have anything. Oh well, we like her so much that even if she doesn't end up laying, we will keep her and she will be a pet I'm definitely glad we waited it out too. I'm so glad yours is still doing well. We love our little runts Here's a picture of Button. I'd love to see one of yours if you have one!

 

[limhyl]

This is Chicken Little about two weeks ago. You can see a little bit of a comb there but not much. She is a barred rock/americauna cross so I have no idea what the comb is supposed to look like but both her sibs (a hen and a roo) have combs already. She will be a pet for sure.